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As Trump officially takes office, we’ve all learned not to bet against him in any confrontation that comes down to brute force, Paul Wells writes.

President Donald Trump is joined by the congressional leadership and his family as he formally signs his cabinet nominations into law on Friday. "For too long ... Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth," he said at his address. (J. Scott Applewhite / The Associated Press)

Former U.S. president Barack Obama takes a moment to greet former senators Elizabeth and Bob Dole on Friday. (Chip Somodevilla / GETTY IMAGES)

As they left the swearing-in stand through a door back into the Capitol building, two presidents — first Donald Trump, then Barack Obama — paused in turn to shake the hand of a small man in a wheelchair. It took me a second to recognize Bob Dole, 93 years old, 20 years retired from the Senate he so dearly loved, as powerful a symbol of continuity in American politics as any that lives.

Trump slowed down for barely a second. Obama stayed behind for longer, gave Dole’s wife, Elizabeth, a peck on the cheek, clapped the old man on the shoulder reassuringly. There is no need to read too much into the different reactions: Obama has some spare time now, and Trump will be busier. In the years ahead there will be all sorts of events for us to read into.

Dole’s been a Trump man all along, because Dole’s a Republican and Trump was his party’s nominee, but it was striking how many figures in the Washington establishment showed up for the ceremonies of this bizarre day. We’ve heard so much about who wasn’t going to show up that it was striking who did. Sen. Charles Schumer as co-master of ceremonies. Every living ex-president who was well enough to come, from Jimmy Carter on down. Hillary Clinton.

There was a late-breaking trend, as at least half of the people protocol would expect to see at a presidential inauguration struggled with whether to attend this one, toward showing up. Trump never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity, so of course he mocked and insulted Rep. John Lewis after Lewis announced he would not attend the inauguration of a man he views as an illegitimate president. But in the end, Lewis’s choice was not the choice of most Washington dignitaries who had to decide whether to attend.

My hunch is that more and more Americans have decided there is no additional harm to be done by cloaking President Trump in the trappings of institutional legitimacy, and that in the end it might do a world of good.

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We’ve all learned not to bet against Trump in any confrontation that comes down to nothing more elaborate than brute, thuggish force. But the genius of the American republic is that it was designed to limit any man’s power. Even battered as they’ve become through neglect and misuse, those institutional safeguards may yet come in handy. There’ll be no end of early tests. The American Civil Liberties Union was not the only organization to go to court seeking remedy against Trump’s conflicts of interest in his business holdings within minutes after he lifted his hand from Abraham Lincoln’s Bible.

As for the man himself, well, never let it be said that on Day One he failed to deliver what his supporters voted for. He thanked the Obamas for their kindness and the ex-presidents for their presence, then dismissed them all as a dynasty of Neros.

“For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth,” he said.

Americans “want great schools for their children, safe neighbourhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.” Instead “too many” face a different reality: “poverty in our inner cities, rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones,” and an education system “flush with cash,” which leaves students “deprived of all knowledge.”

All knowledge? This was escalating quickly. “The crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives …” Further escalation. “This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.”

Ah. There are words I like to use as rarely as possible so they don’t spoil with repeated use, but if Trump wants to avoid being called a fascist, he should, at some point, stop stealing from the playbook. The cartoonish exaggeration of a nation’s woes, the promise of miraculous recovery thanks to a strongman who incarnates the nation’s will: Check, check, check. We’ve seen this all before, usually in old newsreels from far-off lands.

From carnage in American cities it was on to the “ravages of other countries.” Trump mentioned borders twice, and neither time was it to praise Canada as a tourist destination. Once again, he seems intent on being the president he promised he’d be during the campaign.

And yet, for all the carnage and ravages and the smirking Washington elites plundering the nation, Trump was quick to offer reassurance. No, not just reassurance, but a kind of magic rebirth. “There should be no fear,” he said. “We are protected and we will always be protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement. And most importantly, we will be protected by God.”

These are, and will soon be widely remembered as, testable propositions. How long a grace period should Americans grant their new president before checking to see whether “this American carnage” ended “right here and right now?” Until midnight? Until the weekend, or year’s end? Until the next school shooting?

Similarly, if at some point it becomes apparent that the United States is not particularly more protected than before, or that Trump was speaking metaphorically when he said he would “never ever let you down,” then it will be a good thing that he got to pronounce this speech. He has set the terms of his own performance review.

Meanwhile, it will be necessary for everyone — courts, Democrats, press, states and cities and ravaging foreign governments — to work with him. Many were busily poring over the position papers his staff posted on the refurbished White House website. There is much to digest.

“President Trump is committed to eliminating harmful and unnecessary policies such as the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule,” the website’s energy plank says. “The Trump Administration will embrace the shale oil and gas revolution to bring jobs and prosperity to millions of Americans. We must take advantage of the estimated $50 trillion in untapped shale, oil and natural gas reserves, especially those on federal lands that the American people own.” Including, one presumes, in Alaska.

Trade? “President Trump is committed to renegotiating NAFTA. If our partners refuse a renegotiation that gives American workers a fair deal, then the president will give notice of the United States’ intent to withdraw from NAFTA.”

What about irony? Is there anything in there on irony? Ah, yes, here it is. “Cyberwarfare is an emerging battlefield, and we must take every measure to safeguard our national security secrets and systems.” Perhaps one day we’ll find out which draft of that promise the Kremlin got to read first.

Congratulations poured in from around the world. From Justin Trudeau’s office, reporters received the sort of uniformly positive statement that has quickly become routine in the relationship between the Trudeau government and the Trump transition team. But also this interesting sentence: “We look forward to working with President Trump, the U.S. administration, the 115th Congress, and officials at the state and local levels.” Perhaps even, one day, on one issue or another, Canadians or their government might find recourse in the American court system too, just as soon as the ACLU clears a little space there for stragglers.

The new president has room for very little in his head but his own magnificence, but the U.S. Constitution, which he just swore to uphold and may yet someday read, envisages power flowing in many directions and from many sources. On this day more than on most, that’s reassuring news.

Paul Wells is a national affairs writer. His column appears Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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